Incidence of Staphylococcus aureus with reduced susceptibility to glycopeptides in two French hospitals

Objectives To determine the incidence of Staphylococcus aureus isolates wit h reduced susceptibility to glycopeptides among all clinical isolates colle cted consecutively in two French hospitals between November 1998 and April 1999. Methods Methicillin-resistant and -susceptible S. aureus isolates were scre ened on vancomycin- or teicoplanin-supplemented agar plates. Glycopeptide M ICs were determined by the E test procedure with a high inoculum and by an agar dilution technique. Glycopeptide-intermediate S. aureus isolates were identified as homogeneously or heterogeneously resistant to vancomycin by p erforming population analysis. Results Of the 640 isolates recovered from 518 patients, three from the sam e patient and two from two different patients showed homogeneous or heterog eneous intermediate resistance to vancomycin. Conclusion The incidence of glycopeptide-intermediate S. aureus (homogeneou sly or heterogeneously resistant) in a non-selected patient population, i.e . regardless of predisposing factors and glycopeptide therapeutics, remains low in the two French hospitals involved in the study, representing 0.6% o f isolates.